MONROE — A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated for Fr. Michael Emil Klarer on Friday, April 29, 2016 at St. Clare of Assisi Parish at St. Victor Church, 1760 14th St., Monroe. Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison was the main celebrant.
Burial was at Calvary Cemetery, 1417 Mansion Dr., Monroe.
Father Klarer died on Sunday, April 24, 2016 at the age of 62, in Monroe. He was born on June 23, 1953, in Monroe, and is predeceased by his parents, Emil and Marcella [Kammerude] Klarer, and his brother-in-law, Carl Logemann.
After attending St. Victor Grade School, Monroe; Monroe High School, Monroe; and Holy Name Seminary High School, Madison, Father Klarer entered Edgewood College, Madison, and graduated from St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minn.
He continued his studies in philosophy and theology at St. John’s University, where he ultimately earned a Master of Divinity Degree. While on active duty in the Navy, Father Klarer earned an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from the United States International University in San Diego.
He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Cletus F. O’Donnell on June 1, 1979, at St. Raphael Cathedral, Madison.
Father Klarer began serving the Diocese of Madison as associate pastor at St. Aloysius Parish, Sauk City, and St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Madison. He continued his priestly service as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps for 13 years, then left active duty and joined the Navy Reserves, from whence he received an honorable discharge at the rank of commander.
Upon his return to Wisconsin, Father Klarer served as pastor of St. Victor Parish, Monroe; St. Rose of Lima Parish, Brodhead, and St. Patrick Parish, Albany, until the merger of St. Rose of Lima Parish and St. Victor Parish into St. Clare of Assisi Parish, from which he retired.
During his years of service to the Diocese of Madison, Father Klarer served as diocesan moderator of Marriage Prep; diocesan clergy director of Marriage Encounter; member of the National Marriage Encounter Board of Directors and as national executive clergy director; member of the Board of Directors of the Apostolate to the Handicapped; temporary liaison to the Apostolate to the Handicapped; and state chaplain for the Catholic Daughters of the Americas-Wisconsin.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be addressed to St. Clare of Assisi Parish, St. Victor School, or to the Fr. Mike Klarer Scholarship Fund for St. Victor School students. The Shriner, Hager, Gohlke Funeral Home of Monroe is coordinating arrangements.